Where the heart is
by Lynyrd Lionheart
Summary: The Jolly Roger returns and Emma suddenly finds herself uncertain about her place in Killian's life. But she's NOT jealous of the ship, okay? That would just be stupid.


**AN: So, I haven't written much for this fandom in a while, but I got this brainchild and it wouldn't go away. It's just a bit of fluff, because I just like my CS fluff. And plus, the previews for tonight's episode gave me all the happy CS feels, so I needed to express them somehow.**

**Where the heart is**

It simply appeared one morning. There was no opening portal, nothing to herald its arrival. One morning, the harbor was simply Jolly Roger free, and then the next – there it was.

Emma didn't even notice at first. She was trying to help Elsa to acclimatize to the town, so she would stop leaving ice paths wherever she went. It had been causing complaints, and Granny had nearly thrown out a hip tripping on one left in the diner. They were successful to varying degree, depending on how many people and vehicles were around, but it was still success.

So Emma was distracted with Elsa and keeping her calm, so she didn't notice the ship. Not until Elsa pointed it out.

"That wasn't there yesterday."

Emma looked up in confusion, half expecting to see another snow monster, or maybe a new ice palace. Instead, Elsa pointed over the water, to where the Jolly Roger sat anchored, as though it had been there all along.

"I don't believe it," she breathed out, eyes taking in the familiar gleaming wood. She felt a smile cross her lips, and this time when she spoke it was with more of a whoop. "I don't believe it!"

"What?" Elsa asked, and the look of befuddlement on her face would have been hilarious if Emma wasn't too busy being so happy to see that damn ship. "What is it?"

"Killian's ship," Emma replied. "That's the Jolly Roger!"

She grinned, looking at it, floating serenely on the water. Then, bit-by-bit, she felt her smile fade. Not because she suddenly got suspicious about its sudden appearance (that would come later), but because the ramifications of its appearance began to hit her.

The Jolly Roger. Killian's life, his _home_. He had given it up for her, decided to make _her_ his home… but it was here now. It was here, and that meant he didn't need _her_ to be home anymore. Not when he had his real one.

"Emma?" Elsa asked, and flurries began to gather around her. Emma snapped to attention and forced another smile on her face, feeling guilty because she had forgotten how susceptible to other woman was to sudden mood changes. "Is something wrong?"

"I… it's nothing. Killian's ship!" she knew the enthusiasm rang false this time, in the face of the very real emotion she'd felt earlier. It made her feel even more guilty, because this was Killian's _ship_, and he would be so, so happy to have it back, and here she was being selfish and wondering what it meant for _her_, when she was the reason he'd lost it in the first place. "We should go tell him."

Elsa just looked at her, flurries still floating, and her expression said quite clearly that she wasn't buying what Emma was trying to sell.

"Really Elsa. It's… it's a good thing."

Elsa didn't look like she believed that, but the flurries slowly began to disappear, and the two women made their way back to Granny's, where Emma would be able to tell Killian the good news.

She just wished she could feel excited about it again.

CAPTAIN-SWAN

It was the Jolly Roger.

Killian looked through his telescope out at the boat. It's gleaming wood, it's snowy white sails, and he thought his face might break with how big his smile was.

_The Jolly Roger_.

"It's her all right," he said, looking back to Emma and the Prince, who had been having breakfast for him when his daughter and Elsa had come to tell them of the ship's sudden reappearance. Elsa had decided against joining them on the docks, but Emma and David had come along.

"I wonder how it got here?" David asked, holding his hand out for the telescope. Killian had to roll his eyes at the prince's assumption that he would simply hand it over, but the assumption wasn't _wrong_, and within moments he was looking at the ship. "You didn't see anyone on deck."

"Looks completely empty," Killian replied jovially, hooking his thumb through the belt loop of his jeans. He glanced down at his modern apparel and gave a chuckle. "I'll have to break out the leather again. I hardly look like a pirate captain in this."

David snorted and rolled his eyes, but Emma just stared pensively out at the ship, hugging herself, and didn't reply. Killian frowned at her, slightly. Usually such a remark would at least get one of her raised eyebrows and a reluctant smile of amusement. But she just stood there, a furrow between her brows, and Killian found himself focused less on his ship, and more on the lass.

He had failed to notice her recalcitrance in his excitement over seeing the Roger, he realized. But though she had put a smile on her face when she told him, it had been forced and strained. As it was when she realized he was watching her and tried to put another on her face.

"I guess we should go out, see what, if anything, is onboard," she said. "Leroy said we can use his boat, if you want to get us out there, Captain."

She took off, toward the dwarf's boat, before Killian could respond. David handed him back the telescope and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's go get your ship back, Hook," he said with a grin that Killian returned weakly.

"Aye," he agreed, but he couldn't help but remember the look on Emma's face, and tried to figure out what he had done to put it there.

CAPTAIN-SWAN

The ship was empty. It had no supplies to show that anyone had been on it for some time, and Emma said she could detect no sorcery. So, with the help of a Prince and a Princess, Killian steered it into dock, towing the borrowed boat behind them.

Snow was waiting for them with little Neal and Henry, and Emma's boy ran onto the ship almost as soon as they were docked.

"Cool!" he said, looking around. "I was wondering where your ship had gone. Dad" – Henry paused a little after saying that, and Killian felt a pang of sadness as well – "he taught me a bit about steering it, when we brought it from New York. Maybe you could teach me more?"

He looked up at Killian so hopefully, and he was reminded of Baelfire at the same age. He ruffled the boy's hair, and opened his mouth to agree, but Emma was there, cutting him off.

"Maybe another time, kid," she said, resting a hand on Henry's shoulder to steer him away. "I bet Hook wants some time to reacquaint himself with the ship. Make sure everything is in its proper place."

Killian snapped his mouth shut and frowned thoughtfully at Emma. He had overheard her call him Hook when speaking to others, but it was becoming rarer, and never in his presence. When she knew he could hear her, he was always _Killian_ these days.

So what had changed that?

"We'll leave you to it," David said, grinning at him. "But I may have to join Henry on some of those lessons. Our trip to Neverland was exactly a peaceful learning experience."

"Of course," Killian replied. "I'll be sure to put you to work, swabbing decks. It's a lesson any good sailor should work."

"And not a chance to get free labour from a royal at all," David replied dryly.

"Aye, now, Dave. Surely you don't think I'd take advantage of your good nature like that?"

David chuckled and shook his head, waving a hand over his shoulder. Emma and Henry began to follow, and Killian reached out to grasp Emma's free hand.

"A word, if you wouldn't mind, Swan?" he asked when Emma froze at the contact.

"I-" he could see her looking for a reason to decline, to leave his presence, and Killian felt a pang in his chest, because he thought they were past that. That they were in a good place. He let go of her hand and took a step back. He tried to hide how her hesitation hurt him, but he knew his expression had become closed off. Emma noticed as well, because she looked down at Henry and nodded her head towards her parents. "Why don't you go with your grandparents, Kid. I won't be long."

Henry looked between them both, his expression saying quite clearly that he knew what they were doing, and then he jogged after David.

"What's the matter?" Emma asked, turning back to him, her thumbs looping through her belt loops. "Did you find something after all?"

"No," Killian replied slowly, watching her closely, looking for some sign, some hint of what had put her guard up like this again. "As far as I can tell, everything is fine. It'll need a closer look to be sure, but it seems just a good bit of luck."

"Yeah," Emma replied stonily. "Wonderful luck. You saved us all, and you got your ship back. Maybe it's the world's way of rewarding your heroics. If that's it-?"

"Swan, if this is your way of avoiding me again, I have to admit to some confusion," Killian announced to her back as she began to walk away. His words made her steps halt, so he continued. "Last night… I mean, I'll admit it surprised me somewhat when you started to cry during that movie, but I don't think it's a good reason to avoid me."

"_Homeward Bound_ makes everyone cry," Emma replied, spinning around to look at him. "Don't try to act like I was the only one that got teary eyed at Shadow."

"Okay, okay!" Killian held up his hands for peace, smirking at her and feeling some relief that the smile on her face was finally genuine. "I'll admit that old dog managed to evoke some emotion" – he sighed, and scratched behind his ear, smirk fading and glancing away from her – "so then why?"

"Why what?" Emma replied, and she fidgeted, reminded once more of why they were having this discussion, and obviously not wanting to have it.

"You've been closing yourself off from me since you told me about the Jolly. You called me Hook-"

"It _is_ your name. Or at least your moniker!" Emma replied, and Killian raised a brow at her, but simply continued to speak.

"- and I thought were past that." She avoided her gaze, and Killian stepped closer to her, his hand coming up to push some of her hair away from her face. He kept his fingers there, on the side of her head, to tip her head up to look at him. "What happened, Lass? Have you… have you changed your mind? About us?"

"No," Emma blurted out, and her eyes widened slightly, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. She hadn't meant to say that, he realized, and least not with such passion.

"Okay," he said, his hand drifting down to cradle the back of her neck. "You haven't changed your mind about us. Then what's happened?"

"You have the Jolly Roger again," she said softly, trying to look away from him, but Killian was determined and wouldn't let her.

"I fail to see why the presence of my ship changes anything," he told her, completely befuddled and unable to see the point she hoped to make.

"The Jolly Roger is your _home_, Killian. The _sea_ is your home. And when it wasn't here… well, you had no choice. Your ship was gone, so you had to make a new home. And it was _me_, which was a little terrifying but... I've never been anyone's _home_ before. And it felt good. But now? You have one again, and it's not me. And I hate myself for feeling like this, because it's so _selfish_. You gave this up for me, and apparently that's not enough, because I need it to stay go-"

Killian, understanding now, swooped down and kissed her. He felt her freeze for a moment, because outside of her experience with the him of the past, this was the first time he had ever initiated one of their kisses. He had always left it up to her, knowing that she needed that control, needed to be the one to initiate. But right now?

Right now he simply wanted her to know how he felt.

She finally returned the kiss, her arms twining around his neck and burrowing into his hair. As it always did when her lips were on his, the entire world faded away. It was just him, and her, and he was so over the moon in love that he was completely and utterly wrecked with it.

"It doesn't matter how many ships I have," he said when they broke apart. "I would give up each and every one of them if it meant I got to stay with you. The Roger was my home once, Swan, and it still holds memories that are dear to me. But when I think of the word, of where I really belong? It's not here. Not anymore."

"I know that," Emma said when he rested his forehead on hers. Her smile was small and self-deprecating. "I really do, Killian. I guess – I guess, I just needed to hear it. Which is stupid."

"No, it's not," Killian replied, and he smiled against her lips when she went up on her tiptoes to kiss her. "I'll admit, it helps me somewhat, to hear that you're jealous of my ship."

That made Emma break away from him, her gaze un-amused.

"I am _not_ jealous of a ship," she informed him bluntly. "That would be ridiculous."

"Maybe a little," Killian agreed with a smirk. "Doesn't change the facts though, Swan. You were jealous of the Roger."

"I was so not jealous of a ship!" she argued, heading down the gangplank to land. "It's a bunch of wood! Nothing to be jealous of."

Killian just smirked and followed her back to land. He would need to come back, of course, and make sure his ship was truly okay.

But for now, he simply wanted home.

**AN: And there it is. Not quite as Unicorns-sharting-rainbows fluffy as some things I've written, but it comes sort of close. Also, I'm so looking forward to the Emma/Elsa friendship. Because Emma needs a friend who isn't either a) romantically involved with her or b) her mother.**


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